Life as Mundanes
by MrsWhitlock143
Summary: The Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices, COMPLETELY AU. Lightwoods, Herondales, Morgensterns, Carstairs, Lewis; they're all living as teenage mundanes. Some characters will be OOC. Warning: Will contain mild swearing, homosexuality, and (at some point) spanking, though it's not the main focus.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Clary! Jonathan!" Luke bellowed up the stairs. "Your breakfast is getting cold and the clock is ticking!"

Jonathan groaned at hearing his step-father's voice ring through the house for the second time that morning. He drew in a sharp breath when he heard his sister's door close, knowing that she was finished getting ready; Jonathan hadn't even gotten out of bed. His bedhead was fresh, his teeth unbrushed, the bedspread covering most of him. He knew that if Luke had to call for him again, he'd get an earful, considering he wasn't near being ready.

With a quick glance at the clock on his bedside table, Jonathan rolled out of bed, grabbing a random set of clothing and rushing to the bathroom to prepare himself. Eyeing himself in the mirror, the boy couldn't help but stop to admire his good looks. His hair, although white-blonde, shaped his character and definitely caught people's attention; desirable attention. His startling green eyes, long legs, and wolfish grin was enough to capture any girl's heart without even having to utter a single sound.

"Jonathan Christopher!"

_Crap… _Jonathan sighed as he closed his eyes, knowing by the tone of Luke's voice that he was not happy. Deciding he should move quickly, the sixteen-year-old simultaneously brushed his teeth while getting dressed, nearly getting toothpaste on his new pants.

After about five minutes, he raced down the stairs, only to find himself face-to-face with his less-than-happy-looking step-father. Smiling sheepishly, Jonathan offered a meek shrug as his apology, hoping he wouldn't get a lecture this early in the morning.

Luke shook his head at the boy, thankfully saying nothing, but merely gestured that he should head to the kitchen, a command the teenager followed immediately. Clary glanced up from her breakfast as her brother walked in, followed by her step-father. She smiled sweetly.

"Running late again, big brother?"

Jonathan sneered at her but didn't respond, as he knew he'd have to choke down his breakfast in order to arrive in time for their first day of school. When he saw Clary get up with her school bag, he stopped her, mouth full of pancakes.

"You can't go to school by yourself."

The tiny red-head rolled her eyes. "I'm not going alone. Simon's waiting for me outside." She stated simply, kissing her parents goodbye and heading out the door, leaving Jonathan to get to school on his own. He scarfed down the last bit of food on his plate before grabbing his own school bag.

"I don't wanna go." He pouted, looking at his mother with big doe eyes. She sighed but was interrupted by her husband.

"I suggest you get moving, unless you would prefer that I drop you off." He suggested, knowing his step-son thought it was humiliating to be dropped off by his parents.

"I'd rather not. In fact, why don't we all save ourselves the trouble. I can just stay home. Drop out of school. It's all good." The boy faltered once he noticed the expressions worn by his parents. "I'm just kidding. I'll get going now. Bye." He murmured, heading out of the kitchen, into the living room, and finally out the door of his home and towards what he considered to be his doom: junior year.

~0~

"Mom, do I have to go to school today?" Alec questioned his mother for the billionth time that morning. Maryse finally turned around to glare at her eldest son, making him take a step back.

"Alexander Gideon Lightwood, if you ask me that one more time…" She let her threat hang, praying her son would understand her annoyance by now. However, all he did was pout and try again.

"But Mom, please! I don't wanna go…"

"That's it. I've told you that unless you are sick or there is an emergency, you are not missing school, especially not the first day! Get your bookbag, find your siblings and Go. To. School." She enunciated her final words, hoping she wouldn't have to repeat herself anymore.

"Yes Mom." The boy muttered dejectedly, rushing upstairs in search of Isabelle and Max. Maryse shook her head and grabbed her car keys as her husband came in, wrapping his arms around her.

"Alec driving you crazy about not wanting to go to school?" Robert asked with a knowing smile. His wife sighed, looking back at him.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"He was whining to me about it endlessly last night until I sent him to bed. Then, all he did was pout and refuse to go to sleep so he'd be too tired to get up this morning." He chuckled, brushing a stray hair from his beautiful wife's face. She smiled up at him, finding the situation amusing despite her annoyance.

"I don't know what's gotten into him but he seems vehement on not attending his first day of being a junior. Robert, what if he decides to skip class?" Maryse pondered worriedly. She knew Alec was a good kid; the chances he'd skip school were slim to none. Yet, with all the pestering he'd been doing, she couldn't be sure of what her son would do.

"Don't worry, Maryse; our boy is better than that." He half-glanced back as he noticed Alec coming down the stairs slowly, probably listening to the conversation. "Besides, he knows I'll beat his ass if he pulls something stupid like that." He added, just for Alec's sake. In turn, his son scowled but fell short on his retort as his younger siblings approached.

"I'm ready. Let's go!" Isabelle exclaimed excitedly, rushing to give her parents a goodbye hug. It was strange how the children were acting; it occurred to the Lightwood parents that her son and daughter had seemingly switched personalities in regard to the beginning of the school year. Alec had always been eager to start, whereas Isabelle never wanted summer to end. Max, the youngest, had always been indifferent about it.

Alec rolled his eyes but headed to his parents and said goodbye without another word of protest. The two teens waited as their younger brother said goodbye, and then they all headed out the door.

"I can't wait to get to school!"

"I hope I didn't get Mr. Morgenstern as my teacher this year. It'd suck to have my parents be friends with my teacher."

Alec vaguely listened to his siblings' rambling as they walked down the street, turning corners, crossing roads; he couldn't bring himself to care about much that morning. The only thing on his mind was that he _really _didn't want to go to school yet.

~0~

As the Lightwoods approached their high school, Alec halted, lingering on the sidewalk before the school. Isabelle turned back to look at him curiously. The first bell was going to ring soon; they were lucky they hadn't gotten there late, considering they'd had to drop off Max first. The tall girl walked back over to her brother and nudged him with her shoulder. She waited for him to look at her.

"What are you doing?" When Alec didn't answer, she pressed further. "What's wrong? Why don't you wanna go in?"

Alec drew a deep breath and sighed. "I just don't."

Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows, deep in thought. "Is this about being a junior or is this about not wanting to see Jace? Because you've still got this year and next year at school, and you've been seeing Jace all summer. What difference does any of it make?"

Alec eyed his sister, not responding to anything she said. To be honest, he himself wasn't sure why he didn't want to go to school that day -he simply knew that he wasn't in the mood to deal with teachers and people he didn't like. He forced a smile and put his arm around Isabelle's shoulders, walking to the building with her.

"You're right, Iz. I have no reason to be dreading this day. Let's just go inside before the bell rings, yeah? Wouldn't wanna get in trouble on our first day back."

Unfortunately, as soon as those words had escaped Alec's mouth, the bell _did_ ring, damning all who came too late. Many students who had been lingering outside all rushed in at once, making it nearly impossible for the Lightwood siblings to get in without being trampled. Of course, if they'd wanted to, they could have intimidated, in the very least, the freshmen, although they knew that could do more because of their great heights. Just as they managed to get inside the building, Alec was shoved so roughly, he nearly fell over.

"What the -?!"

He stopped short when he noticed that the one who shoved him was none other than Jace Herondale, his best friend -and the guy he was in love with.

"Good to see you too, stud. We better get moving unless we want Ms. Belcourt to give us detention. I don't think our parents would be too happy with that, especially not on the first day." Jace grinned widely, roughly clasping Alec on the shoulder and maneuvering him over to the stairwell. All Alec could do was gaze longingly at his best friend, not even bothering to wonder where his sister had disappeared to so quickly.

~0~

"Maia Roberts?"

"Here."

"Jordan Kyle?"

"Here."

"Mark Blackthorn?"

"Here."

"Jonathan Morgenstern?"

Silence.

Hodge Starkweather tried again. "Jonathan Morgenstern?" Once again, the professor was met with silence. "One final time. Is Jonathan Morgenstern here?"

"I'm here!" Jonathan yelled as he rounded the corner and skidded into the classroom. The class chuckled collectively but the teacher was unamused.

"Why are you late to my class, boy?" He questioned, an eyebrow raised, his arms folded across his chest." Jonathan fidgeted slightly.

"Well, you see… I, uh… Got lost?" He knew it was the lamest excuse in the book, considering he was already a junior; but he had to try.

"Hm, I see. Well, make sure you don't get lost on your way to detention this afternoon."

Jonathan immediately sobered up. "No, no, no. Mr. Starkweather, please, you can't give me detention, not on the first day! That's criminal!" He pleaded, knowing he'd be dead when he got home if he really received a detention.

Starkweather seemed to contemplate it for a moment. Finally, he decided. "Give me a valid reason on why you were late and why I shouldn't give you detention, and then we'll see."

Jonathan racked his brain, trying to come up with a good excuse. His first nature was to snap at his teacher in frustration, but knowing that would get him nowhere, his secondary instincts kicked in before he could stop himself.

"I was late because I didn't want to come to school and lingered outside for too long; you shouldn't give me detention because my parents will murder me, smear my blood, and dance of my grave." Once again, this brought laughter to erupt from his classmates. Jonathan even thought he almost saw his teacher smirk.

"Sit down, Morgenstern." The old man commanded, deciding to let the boy's tardiness slip this once. After all, it was the first day of class.

Grateful, the boy took a seat in the back of the classroom, as he always did. As Starkweather droned on about the first history lesson of the year, the eldest Morgenstern could not bring himself to pay much attention. Instead, he let his mind drift, imagining everything he could be doing instead of sitting in a boring classroom for seven hours once again. Little did he know that he wasn't the only one doing so; nearly all of the juniors were reacting the same to being back in school. Either the teachers didn't notice, or didn't seem to care, not once pausing in their lessons, making the morning nearly as miserable as Jonathan had dreaded.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The sound of teenagers talking over each other in the crowded cafeteria was a nuisance to Will's ears. If there was one thing in the world he preferred to keep away from, it was people. To him, they were all so annoying, so loud, so stupid… Well, for the most part. He just happened to find more people than not like that at school.

"William!" Will turned around and allowed a wide grin to spread over his handsome features as his best friend rounded the corner into the cafeteria. "I've been looking everywhere for you! How could you skip first period on the very first day?"

Completely ignoring the question for the time being, the young Herondale wrapped his arms around James Carstairs, enveloping him in a warm hug; Jem returned the embrace immediately.

"I'm sorry, Jem. I hadn't even realized class had started at first; and, well, you know my motto: if you're gonna be late, you might as well be hella late." He responded with a half smirk as he released his friend. Since Jem was a good boy who followed the rules, his only response to what Will said was to smack him upside the head.

"Get rid of that ridiculous motto of yours, William Owen Herondale. I doubt your uncle will be very pleased when he finds out." Will rubbed at the spot Jem had hit as he contemplated his words. True enough, his uncle would be upset to find out what Will had done.

_But that's only if he finds out, _he thought wryly. Jem shook his head at him.

"Let's get lunch; I'm starving and I'd like to grab a seat before the freshmen invade, yeah?" He stated before walking off, his best friend in tow.

Lost in deep conversation, the two boys almost didn't notice when Jace and the Lightwoods pulled up chairs next to them at their lunch table. Will turned a mocking scowl towards his cousin.

"Herondale."

Isabelle quirked a smile. "You realize you were a Herondale before Jace was, right Will?" The boy's response was to narrow his eyes at her.

"You watch your tongue, Lightwood."

"Hey now, that's my sister you're talking to." Alec spoke up sternly, but the smile on his face contradicted his intended tone of voice. Both boys locked eyes across the table and smirked. When they looked at each other, it was as if they were looking in a mirror; they had identical black hair, blue eyes, were even of the same height. The only differences was that Alec had sharper features, while Will took on a more boyish look. It still remained a mystery to the Lightwoods, as well as the Herondales, how such a coincidence could have occurred between both families.

"Where were you this morning?" Clary asked Will as she joined them at the table suddenly, her brother hanging around after noticing there were no more seats available at the table.

"I came late. Overslept because _someone,_" a pointed look at Jace, "didn't care to wake me or at least wait for me before leaving to school." William answered somewhat resentfully, for which he received an apologetic glance from his younger cousin.

"It's not Jace's responsibility to wake you up, William. Set an alarm or something." Jem inputted to Will, receiving a sharp glare from said person. He shrugged. "What?"

"You're my best friend. You're supposed to be on my side."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

Will rolled his eyes although he wasn't really upset. He noticed Jonathan lingering a few steps away from the table. "Not planning on sitting down, Jonah? Or you can't?" He smirked, knowing Jonathan would understand the implication.

The Morgenstern immediately understood and shot Will a look that could kill. "I am perfectly capable of sitting down, William. I just don't wish to."

"Suuuuuure…"

"William…"

"Jem, you're on my side remember?"

"Right, right."

As the mini-argument raged on between the others, Alec noticed his sister glancing around the cafeteria, seemingly looking for someone. "Something wrong?"

Isabelle didn't even look at him. "Huh? No. Just… There he is!" She smiled brightly when she finally spotted Simon coming towards them. "Where have you been, Simon Lewis?"

"I'm sorry, Iz. I got caught up in the halls and didn't really deem it appropriate to trample kids who are only a grade less than I am." He responded, pushing his glasses a little farther up his nose. Isabelle scooted to one side of her chair, offering Simon the other half, which he took promptly. "Missed me?"

"Of course I missed you, idiot." She shoved his arm playfully before wrapping her arms around his waist. He drew her in as close as he could and kissed the top of her head.

"Interesting." Whistled a new, unfamiliar voice from behind. The group of friends all whirled around in their seats to find that the bemused tone belonged to a student most of them had never seen before.

"Magnus, you really came!" "I didn't believe you when you said you'd attend here!" Jem and Isabelle shouted simultaneously. Magnus merely smirked when he saw the others' expressions. Tipping his head forward by way of greeting, he introduced himself.

"My name is Magnus Bane. Pleasure to meet you all. I'm new here, so don't be too rough with me, yeah? After all, we have mutual friends."

The others eagerly surrounded Magnus, claiming him as their friend almost immediately but all Alec could do was stare. If his parents were here, they would have smacked him for being so rude, but he couldn't help it. Magnus was beautiful.

Tan skin, black hair with blue tips, green eyes, lanky… The boy was a beauty. The two most obvious things about him were 1. He's Asian, probably second generation, and 2. He's gay.

How did Alec know? Quite easily. Magnus didn't even try to hide it. Not only did he dress in fashionable clothing -speckled with glitter -but it was also in his posture and slightly in the way he spoke.

The Lightwood shook his head, trying to clear it. _No way are you falling for someone you just met. Pull yourself together, Alexander! _He mentally berated himself, barely noticing when Clary was calling his attention. He shifted his attention onto the petite female, looking at her quizzically.

"What?"

"I said don't be rude. Say hi to Magnus."

"Oh… Hi Magnus." He mumbled, upset that Clary, of all people, had scolded him for his rudeness. Magnus, however, didn't appear to care about the boy's evident impoliteness.

"Hello, Alec. Is that short for something by the way?"

"What? Yeah, short for Alexander."

Magnus nodded thoughtfully. "Could I call you Alexander then?"

Alec shook his head without a moment's hesitation. "No. I don't like it. Only my mother calls me that; everyone else usually does it when I'm in trouble."

"Of course, of course. Sorry." The newcomer grinned placatingly. He was about to say more when the bell rang.

"Guess we better head to class. Let's go William, you're not skipping this one. Come along, Magnus, you have class with us. Let's hurry though, there's usually traffic on the way to English class." Jem rushed, grabbing both boys by the wrists and maneuvering them out of the cafeteria without even a goodbye to his other friends. They all headed their separate ways, the last one to leave the cafeteria being Alec. He had heard Jem when he was speaking of his classes, so he knew that he was headed to the same English they were. That fact did not comfort Alec in the least bit, knowing he had to see Magnus again, which only troubled his feelings further.

_Love at first sight? How ridiculous… _Alec's thoughts were a jumbled mess as he began his journey to English III when he suddenly wondered if maybe he just shouldn't show up. His memory snapped back to that morning when his father claimed ready to bust his butt if he pulled something so stupid as skipping class, and he knew his father meant it, even if at the time he said it jokingly. With that thought in mind, Alexander sighed and continued to trek slowly to class, barely making it before the bell rang once more.

~0~

"Jem." Will whispered to the boy next to him. He received no response. "Jem. Pssst, Jem. Jaaaaaaammmmmmeeeeeesssss."

"SH!" Jem hissed back, glaring fiercely. Will frowned.

"Pay attention to me."

"We're going to get in trouble." Jem protested softly, praying the teacher wouldn't hear them since nobody else in the entire classroom was talking.

Will waved away his friend's concern. "Have you seen Tessa today?"

Jem nodded, understanding now why Will was bugging him. "She only came for homeroom. She had to go because she was sick. I'm surprised she didn't tell you."

Will shrugged. "Maybe she woke up sick and decided to wait until I was out of school." Jem nodded just as Ms. Belcourt approached their desks. Jem immediately turned his attention back to the novel he was supposed to have been reading. However, the teacher wasn't foolish -she had clearly caught him talking.

"James, William. I understand this is the first day of school, and you probably have much to say to each other, but please refrain from doing so without permission in my classroom. Silent reading means _silence._"

Jem blushed furiously, embarrassed at being reprimanded in front of the other students, and nodded, not once looking up from the page. Will averted his gaze, knowing he'd get them both in trouble if he made a smart remark to his teacher. Ms. Belcourt seemed satisfied enough with their unspoken apologies and returned to her desk, although she kept her eye on them. As soon as she was far away enough, Will spoke again.

"Jem. Hey, Jem." He nudged James with his foot when he realized he was being ignored. "Listen to me."

The boy being spoken to grinded his jaw and looked at Will from the corner of his eye. A warning, Will realized, to not get him in any more trouble. He huffed.

"Fine. Be that way." He declared, a little bit of hurt crossing both of their eyes. Will turned around to speak to Magnus. "Hey. Psst. Magnus."

The new boy barely looked up from his novel. "Yes?"

"Talk to me."

"The teacher said to be quiet." Magnus responded dutifully, causing Will to snort.

"So? It's your first day at this school. She'll go easy on you. So, tell me about yourself." He rested his elbow on Magnus' desk, disregarding what Ms. Belcourt told him about being silent not even five minutes ago. Magnus chuckled, too low for anyone but him and Will to hear, and set down the book.

"Well. My mother was half-Dutch, half-Indonesian -" He was cut off by Will then.

"Was?"

"Yes. She passed away about a decade ago." Magnus replied, lowering his voice further so his companion had to strain his eyes to understand him; once he did, Will's eyes softened.

"I'm so sorry."

Magnus waved his hand as to dismiss the apology. He smiled brightly and reassuringly at his new friend. "Don't even worry about it."

"William Herondale and Magnus Bane." called out a firm feminine voice. Will turned around and smiled at his teacher.

"Yes, Ms. Belcourt?"

"Did I not tell you to be quite a few minutes ago, young man?"

"I don't recall such a thing, Miss. You _suggested _that Jem and I refrain from speaking. You did not prohibit me from speaking to Magnus, or from speaking for that matter." Will retorted, holding the woman's gaze unabashed. Her lips twitched at the corners; this boy never failed to amuse her, even when she would only hear a remark or two of his in another class. However, he was her student now, and first day or not, she had to be firm.

"You are one infraction away from a detention. Sit properly and be quiet. If you aren't going to read, at least pretend to. The same goes for you, Magnus and Jem."

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry." Magnus mumbled respectfully.

Despite not having had been disobeying again, Jem did not argue the point. He never did, which only led to Will doing it for him.

"Ms. Belcourt, don't include Jem if he wasn't doing anything wrong. He obeyed you the first time, he doesn't need to hear it again." Will ranted before he could be stopped. The instructor sighed, touched that the boy defended his best friend, but disappointed in his lack of respect.

"I'm afraid you've earned yourself a detention. Come straight here after school." She walked away, not allowing Will to offer a word of protest. From behind Jem, Alec mumbled.

"Great going, Will."

Before he could answer, Ms. Belcourt was speaking again, this time to Alec. "Mr. Lightwood, would you also like a detention?"

Red-faced, Alec shook his head, burying his nose in his book. His embarrassment grew when he caught Magnus smirking at him. Alec wondered if he was laughing at his predicament. No, he decided. Magnus wouldn't be so ill-mannered; after all, they had just met so they had no right to laugh at each other's humiliations yet.

Thankfully, no one else spoke a word until the class was over about an hour later. The bell rang and the first to walk out, head held high as always, was Will. Right behind him was Jem, followed by Magnus who insisted on walking beside Alec.

"Hi." Magnus smiled.

"Hi…" Alec responded, thinking the other boy was acting childish, saying hello after having just been in a class with him. Nevertheless, he couldn't bring himself to look into Magnus' green eyes, afraid of what feelings might surge through him.

"Have I done something wrong?"

Alec stammered. "What? No, of course not."

"Then why won't you look at me?"

"I… I take longer to warm up to others. Just give me a couple of days, yeah?"

"Oh. Yeah. Okay." Magnus responded as he smiled before speeding up to find his last class of the day. Was it Alec's imagination or had Magnus sounded disappointed that Alec wouldn't talk to him?

~0~

"Where's Will?" Jace asked as the others approached. The first day of torture was finally over and they were all waiting for their parents to pick them up.

"Detention," answered Magnus simply, "for talking and sassing in Ms. Belcourt's class."

Clary gasped. "On the first day? Jeez, she's tough." The redhead rambled, seemingly outraged, more so at the teacher than at Will. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"Will's not the only one with detention. Jonathan got it too."

"What?!" Clary bellowed. "You're joking."

"I'm afraid not." Simon inputted, joining the others just in time to hear what Isabelle said. "During last block, he refused to do any math work and Mortmain got pissed off."

Clary groaned. She and Jace prayed their parents would not make them stay at school and wait until the other two were done with their detentions, although they doubted neither of their parents would want to pick them up only to return in an hour for the remaining child. The others continued talking, gossiping about their summer and the teachers they got so far.

Lost in conversation, neither Lightwood noticed when their father's white pick-up truck pulled up. Robert honked the horn while Max giggled in the backseat. Magnus was the first to look up and tap Alec and Izzy on the shoulder. He pointed at the truck helpfully.

"Oh! When did Dad even get here? Bye guys!" Isabelle smiled, eagerly hugging all of her friends before climbing into the backseat next to Max. Alec saluted his friends in goodbye, smiling slightly, and opened the door to the passenger side.

Alec didn't even greet his father or brother, simply planning on getting in without a word. He missed his footing getting into the car and dropped his school bag on the ground behind him. When he bent over to pick it up, his father leaned over the seat and gave his behind a good smack.

Alec jumped up immediately, blushing, and sighed gratefully when he noticed that none of his friends saw. He clambered into the front seat, pouting slightly, and tossed the bag to lie at his feet. His father laughed.

"I'm sorry son, did I embarrass you?" Alec huffed, although he wasn't much upset.

"Just a little bit."

"I apologize. But next time, greet your family when you haven't seen them for eight hours." He responded before starting the car and driving off. Max and Isabelle were audibly giggling in the backseat but Alec didn't feel like arguing with his siblings yet. He was just glad that nobody except his siblings witnessed that spectacle. Little did he know that someone did see, and that someone just happened to be Magnus.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I invented Magnus' step-father's name since Cassandra Clare never gave him a name.**

**Chapter 3**

As if by coincidence, Ms. Belcourt happened to be the teacher in charge of detentions on that day, so Will and Jonathan were surprised to see each other after school.

"What'd you do?" They both asked each other simultaneously. Smiling, Jonathan answered first.

"I refused to do any classwork and my teacher got angry. Nothing special." He shrugged. "You?"

"I kept talking when we were supposed to be silently reading, on top of the fact that I was sassing my teacher. Who was your math teacher?"

"Mortmain. Who was your English teacher?"

Before Will could answer, Ms. Belcourt walked past them, into the classroom. Will pointed. "Her."

Jonathan whistled lowly, grateful that he, at least, was not stuck in detention with the same teacher that had put him there. They both walked in together and nearly broke out laughing when they noticed there was only one other student there, besides themselves. They sat down on either side of him.

"Hey, Jordan."

Said boy looked up from the book he had been reading and smiled at the other two. "Hey guys."

"There will be no talking, texting, or note-passing for the next hour, boys. Spread out." Camille Belcourt announced, standing in front of her desk, and looked at the three boys in front of her. They complied, moving to separate ends of the classroom.

"I assume none of you have informed your parents/guardians of your whereabouts, am I right?" Silence. She took that as a sign that she was correct. "Well then, since you guys didn't do it, I will take the liberty and call them on _my _phone; however, you will each be the one to explain why you are here. William, come here please." She beckoned him forward immediately, barely giving him time to register what she said.

Will numbly walked up to her desk, where he was asked for his uncle's phone number. He briefly thought about giving her Jace's number, but his cousin probably wouldn't be able to pull off the act in time since he hadn't been warned. Resigned, Will told her Stephen Herondale's cell phone number, praying he wouldn't answer.

Unfortunately, Will could hear a faint "Hello?" from the other side of the line. He sighed dejectedly.

"Yes, is this Stephen Herondale?"

"Yes, who is this?"

Camille leaned back on her desk, half looking at her student as she spoke on the phone. "This is Camille Belcourt. I'm your nephew, Will Herondale's, English teacher."

"Oh, well. Hello, Ms. Belcourt. What can I help you with this afternoon?"

"I have your nephew here with me right now, sir. I would just like to inform you that he has detention this afternoon." She noticed how Will visibly cringed as she finally got to her point.

"Ah, I see. May I speak to him for a moment, Miss?" Stephen replied, somewhat tensely.

"Of course, Mr. Herondale." She replied dutifully, handing her cell phone to Will. He took it hesitantly and Camille almost felt guilty.

"H-hello?" Will squeaked, silently cursing how weak his voice sounded in front of the others. "Uncle Stephen?"

"William Owen Herondale, would you care to explain to me why you have detention on your first day back at school?" Will winced as his uncle all but yelled at him through the phone. He hesitated a moment. "William."

"I… Well, I got detention during English class… We were told to read quietly, but I decided to talk to my friends anyways." At his teacher's pointed look, he added, "And I sassed Ms. Belcourt when she asked me to be quiet… And I skipped first period." He added that last bit even though he knew he'd only get into more trouble. He figured if he was in trouble, he might as well list all his offenses and get punished for everything all at once.

For a moment, Stephen didn't answer his nephew, which made Will uneasy. He waited a long, tense moment before he got a response. "We'll talk about this at home, young man. I'm very disappointed in you. Tell Jace to go home with one of his friends."

"Yessir." He mumbled into the phone right before his uncle hung up. He handed the phone back to his teacher and explained that he needed to contact his cousin for a moment. He frowned when he read Jace's reply ('kay. Have fun in detention, Owen). Jace only called him that when he was upset. Sighing, Will returned to his seat. Jonathan was called up next.

When asked to give a phone number, Jonathan wasn't sure who's to give. His mother? His father? Luke?

About two minutes later, he began listening as his teacher spoke to his step-father. The phone was passed to him a beat later.

Before he could even utter a word on the phone, Luke's voice rang in his ears. "Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern." He began furiously. "How did you manage to get detention this soon?"

The young man fingered the edge of his shirt nervously as he explained to the phone. "It wasn't anything very bad, I promise! I just… I refused to do any work during my math class and so Mr. Mortmain gave me detention." He desperately hoped that he wasn't in as much trouble as he thought he was. It was only a small case of disobedience after all.

He heard Luke sigh. "Jonathan. You cannot go around disobeying and disrespecting your teachers. If you are in math class and your math teacher tells you to solve some math problems, you do it, no questions asked. I am appalled that you allowed yourself to get detention over something this simple."

Jonathan did not like lectures, so he quickly interrupted. "If it's something so simple, does that mean I'm off the hook?"

"Of course not." Luke stated simply and Jonathan's face fell. "This discussion will be finished at home. I do not want a repeat of this, are we clear?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes sir." He muttered, humiliated. He was about to hang up when Luke spoke again.

"Jonathan?"

"Yes sir?"

"I love you, son."

Jonathan smiled. Leave it to Luke to tell him something like that even when he was in trouble. Even though it embarrassed him a bit, he corresponded. "I love you too, Luke."

After returning the phone to Ms. Belcourt, Jonathan took his seat and gazed out the window, not wanting to listen in on Jordan's conversation. He only hoped the other boy had had the same consideration for him.

When he finally snapped back to attention, he could tell Jordan was finishing the phone call.

"I know. Yes. No. I'm sorry, Dad. Yeah, uh, I mean… No, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Bye, Dad."

Will grinned slightly. He'd had enough conversations like that with Stephen. He figured all authority figures somehow reduced children to barely having a say in the conversation; how they did it was beyond him.

~0~

Jace was sitting outside with Clary, Jem, and Magnus when Will texted him.

_Will: Your dad said to go home with someone bc he isn't coming until he picks me up._

Jace quickly responded, thoroughly upset with his cousin.

_Jace: 'kay. Have fun in detention, Owen. _

He looked up at the other two boys. "Can I go home with one of you? My dad isn't coming to the school until he picks up Will in an hour." Both Jem and Magnus glanced at each other.

"Lemme ask my dad." They both muttered, pulling their phones out, both beginning to text their dads at the same time when they realized they shouldn't both ask.

"I'll do it." Jem assured. Magnus put his phone away, only to pull it back out a second later to ask his step-father if they could take Clary home since Luke was going to wait to pick up Jonathan. Both boys smiled up at their comrades.

"My dad will let you come with us." They both declared to their respective friend. Jace and Clary both expressed their gratitude before Clary began to feel a bit uneasy. She doubted her mother would be happy to hear that she had gone to the house of a boy alone, and that she had just met that on top of it all!

_You can trust Magnus,_ Clary told herself. _Your mom has no reason to get upset. _

Slowly, Clary rejoined the conversations the boys were having, trying to keep her mind off herself and think about her brother's fate instead. She was upset at him but she also felt a bit sorry for him. Maybe now he'd learn his lesson, at least.

~0~

Arif Malach grumbled as his step-son, once again, did not answer his calls.

_When I get my hands on that boy…_

Arif pulled up in front of the high school and got out of the car, deciding he'd have to go and personally find Magnus. Luckily, it didn't take long since most students had gone by that time; that, and, his step-son was the only one with blue in his hair and glitter everywhere else.

_You could spot Magnus from ten miles away, _he chuckled before turning serious once more.

When he reached Jace, Clary, Jem, and Magnus, Arif did not even pause to greet anyone; instead, he marched right on over to his boy and smacked the side of his thigh, hard, startling him.

"Ouch!" The other three jumped at the onslaught and Magnus whirled around. "Da-ad. What was that for?" He blushed slightly at having gotten hit in front of his new friends. Arif grabbed Magnus' phone from the spot next to where the boy was seated and held it up to him.

"What's this?"

"Uh… a phone."

"Who's phone?"

"Mine…"

Arif nodded and unlocked his son's phone, then he showed him the screen. "How many missed calls do you have, son?"

Magnus squinted at the screen. "Five." Realization dawned on him instantly. "And they're all from you… Oh. Dad, I'm sorry."

The Indonesian man noticed that his child looked truly repentant but, since it was not the first time this happened, decided he needed to be firm. "Is your phone on vibrate?"

"Yessir."

He handed Magnus the phone. "Put it on normal." Magnus did. "Now, give it back to me. Thank you. You're grounded." He added as he slipped Magnus' phone into his back pocket.

"But Dad!" He whined, momentarily forgetting they had company. The others pretended not to be listening.

"Don't complain; unless you would prefer a different method?" Arif quirked an eyebrow, noticing how Magnus turned beet red. The young boy shook his head quickly. His step-father nodded and turned to the other children.

"Hello, children. I'm sorry for my rudeness. I'm Arif Malach, Magnus' step-father." He turned to Clary. "You must be the young lady coming home with us today." He smiled and extended his hand.

She shook his hand. "Yessir. I'm Clary Morgenstern. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Jace spoke up next and held out his own hand to the man. "Jace Herondale. Pleasure." He greeted respectfully, thinking his parents would be proud.

Arif smiled. "How nice to see well-mannered children." He turned and noticed Jem. "Jem Carstairs! How good to see you again, my boy." He clapped Jem on the shoulder and the boy smiled back up at him.

"Likewise, Mr. Malach."

"You two boys have a way of getting home, don't you?"

"Yes, sir." Jace responded. "Jem's dad is picking us up." As if on cue, Jem's cell phone rang, letting him know that his father was there. He answered immediately, not wanting to get in trouble as Magnus had with Arif.

"Hey, Dad. You're here? Okay. Where, I can't see you? I -oh. Okay, I see you. Yeah, that's Arif. What? Dad, we're not little kids! Da-ad. Fine. Okay. Okay. Okayyyyy. Yessir. Love you too, Dad." he added the last part with a smirk and an eye roll. He glanced sheepishly at Arif.

"My dad is parked across the street and he noticed your car, so he was wondering if you could walk Jace and I over to him. He doesn't want us crossing alone." He mumbled, feeling embarrassed at not being allowed to cross the street alone. Jace caught his discomfort and laughed.

"My dad would do the same, trust me." He whispered, low enough for only Jem to hear. He received a smile in return.

"Of course, come on boys. Clary, Magnus, let's go." The five marched over to Jonah Carstairs' car. He rolled the window down to greet Arif as he approached.

"Arif! How's it going, buddy?" Jonah spoke with a British accent which had always fascinated Jem's friends. Arif shook hands with Jonah through the window and the two men continued a conversation for a few minutes.

"Magnus, would you mind if I asked you a question?" Jace asked tentatively. At Magnus' nod, he continued. "Why do you call Arif "dad" if he's your step-father?" He asked gently, afraid his new friend would take offense.

Magnus smiled, as he always did, it seemed. "I never knew my real father and Arif has raised me ever since I can remember. And the fact that he kept me even after my mother died…" His voice broke a bit with emotion, something the others did not fail to notice. Magnus cracked one of his winner smiles and continued. "It wouldn't feel right not to refer to him as my father."

They remained in silence for a moment as the adults said goodbye to each other. Jonah beckoned Jace and Jem to get into the car.

"Hey, son." Jonah grinned widely, kissing his son on the forehead when he climbed into the car. "Nice to see you again, Jace." Jace nodded back respectfully as he climbed into the backseat. Jonah waved at the other three once more before driving off. Arif turned to Clary and Magnus and clapped his hands together once.

"Alright, let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm not quite making Jordan, Maia, the Blackthorns, etc, main characters unless requested otherwise. A lot of characters from the books are just going to be making cameo appearances (unless someone asks me to specifically focus more on a character that they'd like). That request also qualifies for main characters. For example, I try to write for each character as evenly as possible, but if you want to see more of, let's say, Isabelle, let me know in the reviews, and I'll be happy to oblige. **

**"Jian Meng" is Jem's Chinese name, for the record. The Chinese text roughly means, "Your mandatory half hour is not yet up," "Yes, Mom. I'm sorry," "Hurry up and finish your minutes," "That's not fair," "I'll be good, Mom," and "My child".**

**Chapter 4**

"I am sorry for my nephew's behavior, Ms. Belcourt, not only in your classroom but also during this detention." Stephen Herondale apologized and shook hands with Camille before putting his hands on his hips. "William Owen, let's go."

Will emerged from the corner he had been sent to about halfway through the hour-long detention. It seemed that Will's hamartia was talking out of turn; or possibly his excessive use of sarcasm, particularly at authority figures. He shuffled over to stand by his uncle's side, blushing from having been told to stand in the corner when he was already a junior in high school. Jonathan and Jordan watched the scene before them, trying not to look too interested.

Stephen cleared his throat forcefully. Will knew the cough was his cue to apologize to his teacher, but Will, being the idiotic fool he was, decided to make a snarky comment.

"You might want to see a doctor about that cough, Uncle Stephen." He spoke up, unable to resist the temptation. Stephen looked about ready to drop him over his knee right then and there which made Will quickly backpedal. "Well… On another note. Ms. Belcourt, I offer my sincerest apologies for the disrespect I've been showing you today. I will do my best to refrain myself from being… willfully disobedient." He grinned placatingly.

Belcourt fought back a smile of her own. Even when he's misbehaving, William found a way to do it amusingly. However, she knew that if she laughed, or even smiled, it would only encourage his rude behavior further. She nodded her head in gratitude of his words. "Apology accepted. Just make sure you keep that promise, young man."

Will nodded. Stephen shook hands with the woman and apologized on Will's behalf once more before gripping his nephew's arm tightly and pulling him out of the classroom. Uncomfortable by how hard his uncle was holding his arm, Will began to speak.

"Uncle Stephen -"

"Not. One. Word." Stephen ground out, maneuvering his way expertly through the hallways, gradually grasping Will's arm tighter with every step. Once outside, the older Herondale threw the door open and practically tossed his ward inside before slamming the door. Will winced and rubbed his arm until his uncle came in on the driver's side. He leaned his head on the window, groaning quietly. He knew that the ride home would be completely silent, plus what he had waiting for him when he got home wouldn't be very pleasant either.

~0~

Luke came in from the opposite hallway, in time to catch Stephen hauling Will out of the classroom. Sighing, he entered and offered a polite smile to the woman he saw sitting at the big, mahogany desk. "Hello. I'm Luke Garroway, Jonathan's step-father." He stuck out his hand and the blonde woman shook it.

"Camille Belcourt."

"I'm very sorry that you had to dedicate an hour of your time to 'babysit' my son for his misbehavior." Luke snapped his fingers in Jonathan's direction as a signal for the boy to rise from his seat, which he did promptly. The white-blonde boy gave a small wave of goodbye to Jordan before making his way over to complete the triangle of people. Luke nudged him.

"Ah, I am sorry, Ms. Belcourt." He apologized half-heartedly. She smiled politely.

"I only hope the next time we meet will not be in detention." was all she responded. Luke dipped his head once as means of farewell, before clutching Jonathan's wrist tightly and walking fast, the younger man in tow. To be honest, Luke didn't know what to do when they got home. It was a ridiculous way for his brood to get detention, but his disregard for authority had to be dealt with; besides, there is a very strict rule about getting in trouble at school and if he wavered now, Jonathan would not take him seriously again.

The sixteen-year-old offered no words to the man who raised him, merely grunts of protest if his wrist was yanked on too hard. Knowing he was in trouble, Jonathan decided to remain silent unless he was spoken to; the last thing he wanted was to infuriate Luke any further than he already seemed to be.

Once they reached Luke's pickup, Jonathan was released. "Get in." The man ordered, opening the passenger door and waiting. There were miscellaneous items on the seat, so Jonathan had to climb in head-first to gather them up and toss them to the back. Luke glanced down to see why the boy was taking so long to get in, when he noticed the rump mistakenly presented before him. As another way of letting his child know he meant business, he applied one sharp, stinging swat, making Jonathan yelp half in pain and half in surprise. Luke was about to smack him again, and he sensed it, so he quickly just shoved everything out and plopped onto the seat. The car door shut and Luke appeared in the driver's seat moments later, starting the car and driving off without another word.

~0~

"Alec, can I watch cartoons?"

Alec glanced down from his book to find his baby brother looking at him with big doe eyes. He blinked once, undeterred.

"No." He stated simply, turning his attention back to his book. Max gaped at him.

"But you aren't even watching the television! C'mon, please?" His bottom lip protruded in a pout, making the nine-year-old look even younger. Alec sighed, not even looking at the kid.

"I said no, Maxwell."

"But why?"

"Because you ate my last popsicle." Alec knew he was being a bully, especially since the kid was so young, but he couldn't help it. He was the most mature of the three Lightwood kids, but even he was entitled to a few moments of immaturity. Max huffed and turned in the direction of the kitchen.

"Mom! Alec won't let me watch TV!"

Alec's jaw fell slack as he put the book down to stare at his little brother. He could not believe he just ratted him out like that.

"Alexander! Don't be mean to your brother." Maryse distractedly hollered back from the kitchen. Max stuck his tongue out at him. Alec imitated the motion.

"She said not to be mean. She never said to give up the TV. Go watch cartoons in your room or something."

Max simply stared at his older brother. _Two can play this game, big bro. _

Max saw their father crossing the living room and decided he'd use him against Alec. He mustered up some crocodile tears and ran up to Robert, tugging his hand to gain his attention. When he noticed the tears, Robert immediately squatted down and looked at his son with concern. "What's wrong, kiddo?"

"Alec (sniffle) is being (sniffle) mean to me (half-sob). He won't (hiccup) let me watch cartoons (whine). He's not even using the TV, Daddy! He's reading." Robert glanced over to his eldest son seated on the couch, as Max said, reading a book with the television playing nonsense in the background. He could not believe the way Alec was treating his brother.

Robert stood up and walked over to Alec, Max trailing behind. The man snatched the book out of Alec's hand in a split second. His son glared up at him.

"Dad, I'm reading that." He commented snobbishly, holding his hand out for the book. Robert raised an eyebrow at his boy, wondering where this attitude had suddenly emerged from. He decided he didn't care; he'd put an end to it immediately. Instead of handing the book back, Rob gave it to Max to hold on to and simply looked at Alec. "Hey! Dad, that's not fair! I want my book back."

When Alec leaned forward to try to take it from Max, Robert stretched out his arm and grabbed the back of Alec's belt, holding him half bent over the couch's arm. He swatted him once, ignoring the sounds of protests emitting from his child.

"Alexander Gideon Lightwood. Your little brother kindly asked you if he could watch his cartoons here, since you were not paying attention to the television, but instead reading. Now, if you are not using the television _in the family room _and someone wants to use it, you allow them to, no arguments." At the end of his mini-lecture, he struck the seat of Alec's pants again, eliciting a grunt from the boy. He continued, "Furthermore, if I catch you treating either of your siblings the way you were just a moment ago, I will have you over my knee so fast, your head will spin!" Swat! "Do I make myself clear?" Smack!

Silence.

Swat! Smack! Whack!

"Do I make myself clear?" Robert repeated, losing patience fast.

"OW! Yessir, crystal clear." Tears sprang to Alec's eyes, but he choked them down, lest Max see them. "I'm sorry, Maxie. TV's all yours."

Robert finally released Alec, who plopped back on the couch with a grimace of pain; his face was as red as a tomato, having been thoroughly embarrassed at being scolded that way in front of his younger sibling. Max returned the book to his older brother and sat next to him on the couch, quickly grabbing the remote and changing channels. Rob observed his boys for a brief moment before continuing on his path to the kitchen.

Just as their father disappeared around the corner, Isabelle bounded down the stairs. Both boys looked up from the couch.

"Which one of you got hit? I could hear the smacks from my room!"

Alec rolled his eyes and raised his arm half-way in the air, letting his sister know that he had been the one on the receiving end. As if Max was ever on that end, anyways. He got special treatment for being the baby, which usually didn't bother Alec, but that depended on his mood -and Alec was prone to mood swings.

Luckily, Isabelle questioned no further, instead taking a seat on the other side of Max. Alec glanced over at them and ruffled Max's hair as his real apology. The little boy understood and leaned his head against his brother's arm as his apology for getting him in trouble. Isabelle noticed her brothers' interaction, half-wishing she was part of it.

~0~

Enthralled in the art of listening and watching as Jem played the violin, Jace didn't even notice his father had been calling his cell phone. The violinist paused a moment to look at his friend, slightly bemused.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're beautiful." Jace responded without skipping a beat. Both boys laughed as Jem playfully shoved Jace away.

"You mean my violin playing is beautiful. Come now, stop staring, it's rude. You don't see me openly gawking when you or William plays the piano, now do you?" He reprimanded before preparing to start practicing his instrument again.

"So, you admit that while you don't openly gawk, you do secretly admire?" Jace raised his eyebrows, smirking. Jem shook his head, holding back a grin of his own.

"Herondales. Far too cocky."

Right as the bow made contact with the violin, Jem's cell phone rang. He sighed, knowing he'd get in trouble if he didn't practice at least the half hour his father wanted him to. Setting the instrument down, the boy picked up his phone, not recognizing the number.

"Hello?"

"Jem? This is Jace's Dad. Is my son with you, by any chance?"

"Yessir, he's right here. I'll put him on for you."

Jem handed the phone to Jace. The blonde answered as he checked his own phone, realizing he had missed calls. Uh oh.

"Jace Herondale! Do you know how many times I've rang your cell? The point of you having a phone is so that people can get in contact with you! Where is your phone, young man?"

Jace swallowed at hearing his father's tone. He silently cursed Will for putting him in such a bad mood. "It's next to me, sir."

"Then why the hell didn't you answer it?!"

Jace winced. "I… Jem was playing his violin and it drowned out the sound of my phone. I'm really sorry, Dad, I didn't ignore your calls on purpose. The only reason Jem even heard his phone is because he had literally just taken a break."

Dead silence from the other end of the line. It lasted so long, Jace thought his father must have hung up on him. Then, "Alright son. Fine. I'm picking you up in about fifteen minutes, so be ready."

"Yessir." Jace hung up the phone and handed it back to Jem, who was looking expectant. "I'm not sure if I'm in trouble or not." He shrugged.

"Jian Ming! Nǐ bìxū bàn xiǎoshí hái méiyǒu wánchéng."

Jem bowed his head as his mother strode into the room, looking stern. His parents were strict about most things, his practices being one of the main things. He loved the violin, and could play as much as he wanted, but he had to play at least a half hour for his parents to be satisfied.

"Shì de, māmā. Duìbùqǐ."

Ke Wen Yu nodded before making her way back to her paperwork in the living room. Jace waited until she left before he looked at Jem.

"What the hell were you two saying?"

Jem chuckled. "She was scolding me for not playing my violin for the entire half hour. And I apologized."

Jace shook his head, a little enviously. He thought it was nice that Jem could speak Chinese so fluently with his mother. "I don't understand if she knows English, why she still rebukes you in Chinese."

"Beats me. Although half of our normal conversations are a mix of Mandarin and English either way." Jem shrugged. He began practicing on his instrument again before he was admonished for a second time.

Just as promised, fifteen minutes later, Stephen pulled up his car in front of the Carstairs home. He got out of the car, pausing to decide whether or not to bring Will in as well or leave him there. He finally turned and opened the door for his nephew, which Will took as a sign that he had permission to leave the car. He was stopped before he could go far.

"If you utter just one word out of line…" Stephen let the threat hang. William knew full meant what he meant to say, and when he makes a promise, the boys know that he's going to keep it.

Will knocked on the door to Jem's house and they waited patiently until Jonah answered the door with a big smile.

"Hey, Stephen. Good to see you again. I assume you're here for Jace. He's in the music room with Jem." His British accent was thick and beautiful, making Will wish he could speak like that. It took him an eternity to successfully master the art of impersonating a brit. Jonah looked over at Will as Stephen entered the house; the way he glanced at him was in a stern, paternal way. He'd known the boy since he'd been brought into this world, he figured he had the right to scold him.

"William. I heard you got into a bit of trouble at school today." He commented as he allowed Will passage into his home. The boy had the graciousness to bow his head and look shameful.

"Yessir, I did. But it won't be happening again for a long time; if I can mind my tongue that is." He mumbled.

Jonah clapped him on the shoulder. "At least you know what your follies are. So long as you know what to fix, there's always a way to do it." Will nodded and followed the adult into the music room where Jem, Jace, and Stephen were in.

At first, Stephen didn't say anything as he walked in. He simply stood there taking in the beautiful, calming sounds Jem was producing with his instrument. It was exactly what Stephen needed at the moment.

After a few minutes of playing, Jem glanced up and realized that Jace's father was standing there. "Oh! Mr. Herondale! I didn't see you there. Uh, hello."

Jace turned around in his seat as his dad came over to him and kissed him on the head before turning his attention back to Jem. "Hello, Jem." He chuckled. "You're getting even better at that violin, if that's even possible."

Jem blushed at the praise. "Thank you, sir." He glanced down at his watch; he had a minute before the thirty were up. "One moment." He played quickly for his remaining 60 seconds, then stopped. "Now, I'm finished practicing."

"Absolutely lovely. You have a gift, kiddo." Stephen reached out to ruffle the teen's hair as Jonah came in, Will walking solemnly behind him. He had heard Jem's playing since before he came into the room and wished his nerves weren't so jittery so that he could have appreciated the sound more. "I'm afraid I have to be leaving now. It was nice to see you again, son. Jonah. Wen Yu." He amended as the Chinese woman strode in at the last minute. She smiled graciously, bowing slightly to show respect, before turning to her son.

"Is your half hour up yet, young man?" She asked as if it were a rhetorical question. Jem furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Shì de, māmā." He answered, nodding. She shook her head at him.

"You wasted seven minutes in the middle of practice. Once you make them up, you'll be finished. Kuài diǎn kuài diǎn zuò wán fēnzhōng."

"Awh, Mom! Mā, zhè bù gōngpíng. Please, it's only seven minutes!" He protested. His mother gave him a look -one she reserved for when he was really in trouble -not so much because of the minutes of practice but more because she was astonished that he would dare talk back, especially when they had guests. Jem swallowed nervously at the look, remembering that although his parents were lenient in some things, displaying lack of respect was not one of them. "Sorry. Wǒ jiāng shì hǎo de, mama." He bowed his head reverentially, leaving Stephen in awe. He knew the Carstairs were strict parents -sometimes stricter than he or the Lightwoods -and as well behaved as Jem naturally was, he still never thought that the boy could be brought to repentant submission with only a look from his mother. She nodded to show she forgave him but the look on Jonah's face suggested he was going to speak to his boy about this afterwards anyways.

The Herondales all said their goodbyes, taking a little longer than expected after Jem, who remained seated, had hugged Will around the waist and refused to let go. He knew his best friend was in trouble and he didn't want him to leave just yet.

"James, release him this instant." Jonah commanded with a firm, but gentle tone, once he noted his son would not be doing so any time soon. "That means right now, kiddo."

Jem stubbornly shook his head 'no' and buried it in Will's shirt as he hugged him tighter. Stephen found himself not becoming angry in neither boy, even though he felt he should have been. Jace observed his dad warily, ready to get out of the line of fire the moment he might need to.

"Jian Ming, you heard your father. They have to go, baby." Wen Yu half-coaxed, half-rebuked. Still, Jem refused. He wasn't doing it to be particularly difficult, or willfully disobedient. He just wanted to keep William with him for a few more moments. Even though he knew this scene would only get Jem a punishment afterwards, he still clung to Will, his arms wrapped securely around his thin waist. Stephen finally intervened, coming over to gently but surely, pry apart Jem's fingers.

"Jem, I'm not going to kill him. You'll see him again, don't worry. But right now, I need to take Will home. He's in enough trouble so his nerves must be killing him. No matter what time we get home, I'm afraid William will be punished. Plus, the more you resist your parents' authority, the harder they'll come down on you. Thank you for being concerned, but you've gotta let go now, bud."

Jem listened to Stephen's words and eventually unwrapped himself from Will, who in turn, ruffled his hair. The three adults were glad that the boys loved each other so much, but this was not the time to be loving to the point of disobedience, and Jem knew it.

Finally, the Herondales were able to make their exit and Jem was left with two upset parents. He fidgeted in his seat, mentally preparing himself if his father suddenly decided to whisk him up from his seat and smack him.

"James." Wen Yu spoke, using Jem's English name for once. "Look at me." She waited until he did so. "I understand why you were holding onto Will. I know he's in trouble and you just want to keep him safe, but this was not a good time. When your father and I tell you to let go, you let go. Given the situation, we might have to tell you twice but no more than three times, young man."

The young Carstairs nodded acceptance of his mother's words, knowing he'd be a very lucky boy if he got off with just the lecture. However, he was seriously doubting that would happen. His suspicions were proven correct a moment later.

"Stand up, wǒ de háizi. Hold out your palms." She commanded. Even though they lived in America, Wen Yu dealt out less severe editions of Chinese punishments to her child from time to time. Jem rose from his seat and did as his mother asked, waiting obediently, under his father's gaze, as his mother returned with a ruler. He bit his lip, already knowing what would happen. The last time he'd gotten the ruler used on his hands was when he was twelve and decided to touch everything he was instructed not to, until he finally broke something.

Without uttering another word, Wen Yu swung the ruler down on her son's open right palm. Although it didn't hurt as much as he expected it to, it stung enough to make Jem pull his hand back, having not received that type of discipline in nearly five years. Jonah gently grabbed his kid's hand and offered it back up to the ruler, holding him by the wrist so as to prevent Jem from moving again.

**Crack! Crack!**

Jem bit back a whimper as the sting in his right hand increased. After those three licks were completed, his mother moved on to Jem's left hand while his father held it.

**Crack! Crack! Crack!**

The three whacks came down rapidly on his left hand, completing the punishment. Jem bit the inside of his cheek to keep from yelping. As soon as his father released his wrist, the chastised boy began to massage his palms. Jonah put a finger under his son's chin and lifted his eyes to his own.

"Jem, that was not pleasant in the least bit for any of us, and I'm sorry that you were punished, but I hope you understood why that was. Did you?" Jem nodded and his father prompted him to elaborate.

"My hands were whacked because I clung onto Will, even after I was told several times to let go." He recited softly. Jem loved his parents, who were his friends half the time and parents the other half. Yet, there were times when he felt that they could be too strict, his mother in particular, and this was one of the times he felt that way. He would never confess to feeling that way, however, as it would only lead to a long talk that he did particularly want to have; he just wanted to go lock himself in his room. So, instead of arguing, he nodded in understanding at whatever his parents said, heading upstairs to his room after being dismissed, not coming out for the remainder of the evening.


End file.
